Academic Staff Assembly Minutes 02-13-17
Approved 3-13-17
Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf called the meeting to order at 3:33 p.m.
Memorial Resolution: Heather Daniels read a memorial resolution for Bette Barnes and Michele LaVigne read one for Meredith Ross.
Automatic Consent: The Academic Staff Assembly minutes of Monday, December 13, 2016, were approved.
Guest: Amy Fruchtman, Madison Academic Staff Network
Amy reviewed the spring events for the Madison Academic Staff Network. These events include a Snowshoe/Walk on the Lake on February 24, Legislative Update from ASPRO on March 14, Guided Tour of the Chazen on April 13 and the Annual Meeting and Luncheon on May 3 featuring Donald Moynihan. More information is available at http://madisonacademicstaffnetwork.org.
Guest: Tim Dalby, Assembly Representative from District #263, Faculty Assistant Pay
Tim Dalby was joined by several faculty assistants in a brief presentation about pay for Faculty Assistants. The minimum pay for Faculty Assistants has fallen below the minimum pay for Teaching Assistants (TAs). Faculty Assistants perform similar duties to TAs. The group is looking for equity in salaries with TAs. The cost to make the adjustment the faculty assistants are seeking is less than $150,000.
Standing Committee and Other Reports
Academic Staff Executive Committee (ASEC) – A report of ASEC’s activities during the last month was distributed at the door. Kevin Niemi reminded the Assembly that the 2017 Academic Staff Institute will be held on March 1. He encouraged Assembly members to attend. This year’s keynote speaker is Michael Johnson, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. The deadline to sign up for the conference is February 17.
He shared that the Titling and Total Compensation Advisory Council has announced Mercer Consulting as the chosen vendor for the upcoming titling and compensation study. Mercer has a lot of experience with similar projects in higher education. Heather Mc Fadden represents academic staff on the group, and Provost Mangelsdorf is co-chairing the group. There will be a kickoff meeting with Mercer in March.
Kevin announced that the informational sessions on proposed changes to Assembly districting logic will be held on Tuesday, February 28, from 12:30pm – 1:30pm in Union South and on Friday, March 3, from 12:00pm – 1:00pm in 1345 Health Sciences Learning Center. The HSLC session will be recorded and put on the academic staff website.
Mentoring Committee-Marty Gustafson reported that the committee began work in September with a survey to new academic staff to ask who would like to be paired with a mentor. A similar survey was sent out to recruit mentors. They have matched two mentees with one mentor this year as a trial due to a lack of mentors.
The kickoff program was held in October. They are doing some programming this year including a session on performance feedback. They have also started a LinkedIn and Facebook group for mentors and mentees. The committee also supports a Community of Practice on mentoring that meets quarterly.
Academic Staff Professional Representation Organization (ASPRO)-Michael Moscicke provided the Assembly with an update on the governor’s budget proposal. Overall, the Governor’s budget proposal includes $140 million in additional funding for the UW System. The $140 million consists of:
• $50 million to end the lapse the UW System was required to make in the last State Budget.
• $35 million to backfill the proposed 5% tuition cut for Wisconsin-resident undergraduate students in the 2018-2019 school year.
• $42.5 million for “performance” funding. The funds would be distributed to institutions based on their performance relating “to improving affordability and attainability, enhancing work readiness, ensuring student success in the workforce, administrative efficiency, service and two additional criteria to be determined by the Board of Regents.”
• $11.6 million as a block grant to the UW System for compensation increases for UW employees.
• Approximately $900,000 for other programs, including $200,000 for the Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program and $100,000 for Alzheimer’s research.
In addition, there were a number of proposed policy changes in the budget proposal. These include:
• Require the Board of Regents to establish a faculty and instructional academic staff workload policy, monitor faculty and instructional academic staff teaching workload and establish policies for rewarding faculty and instructional academic staff who teach more than a standard academic load.
• Include language in State Statute Chapter 36 to codify the State’s commitment to academic freedom.
• Provide UW System and UW-Madison with more procurement flexibilities.
• Allow students to opt-out of allocable student segregated fees.
• Require institutions to develop plans that would allow a student to complete a bachelor’s degree in three years.
• Require students to have an internship or other work experience before graduating.
• Double the amount of core credits that students can transfer from the Wisconsin Technical College System to the UW System.
Michael reminded the Assembly that Kevin Niemi and Heather McFadden also serve on the ASPRO board.
Business
Standing Committee Slates
Tom Browne, co-chair of the Nominating Committee, read the names of the committee slates for the Communications Committee, Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee, Districting and Representation Committee, Mentoring Committee, Personnel Policies and Procedures Committee, and the Professional Development and Recognition Committee. He asked for nominees from the floor after each slate was presented. Gene Masters was nominated from the floor for the Districting and Representation Committee.
Nominating Committee Slate
Kevin Niemi, ASEC chair, read the names on the Nominating Committee slate. No nominations were added from the floor.
Academic Staff Executive Committee Slate
Tom Browne, co-chair of the Nominating Committee, presented the ASEC slate to the Assembly.
Districting Alternatives
Ian Benton, co-chair of the Districting and Representation Committee, led a discussion on the alternatives for districting logic. With the approved change in size to the districts, there are 23 districts that are too large and 35 districts that are too small. The first issue to decide is whether the total number of districts should be fixed at 112 or whether the total number of districts should be fluid.
The second decision the Assembly will need to make is the logic that should be used to split people into districts. Ian presented four different options to the Assembly. All these options remove location, which is currently used, but is very transitory and, to many, not meaningful. Two of the options would be to only divide people by school/college/division or to only use job title codes. The other two options are a combination of those two factors with either school/college/division being first or job title code.
The Assembly discussed this issue. Two specific items that were mentioned during the discussion was using departments as a way to further separate large numbers of academic staff in the same job title code and school/college/division and possibly providing an upper limit to the number of districts that can be created.
Resolution to Endorse Policy on Misconduct in Scholarly Research
Robert Newsom (ASEC) moved the Academic Staff Assembly approve the Resolution to Endorse Policy on Misconduct in Scholarly Research. Seconded. Approved.
Resolution in Solidarity with Students, Staff and Faculty at UW-Madison Affected by the Executive Order of the President of the United States titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”
Mallory Musolf (ASEC) moved the Academic Staff Assembly approve the Resolution in Solidarity with Students, Staff and Faculty at UW-Madison Affected by the Executive Order of the President of the United States titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” with the addition of a whereas clause before the first therefore clause that reads “Whereas Chancellor Rebecca Blank signed onto a joint letter from the Association of American Universities, the American Council on Education, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities opposing the executive order.” Seconded. Approved.
Provost Report
Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf reported on the proposal in the governor’s budget proposal that all of the UW campuses would have annual report card and the universities would be ranked ordered each year by the Board of Regents.
Adjourned at 5:00 pm.
Minutes submitted by Heather Daniels, Secretary of the Academic Staff
ACADEMIC STAFF ASSEMBLY MEETING MINUTES
272 Bascom Hall
Monday, February 13, 2017
3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
272 Bascom Hall
Monday, February 13, 2017
3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf called the meeting to order at 3:33 p.m.
Memorial Resolution: Heather Daniels read a memorial resolution for Bette Barnes and Michele LaVigne read one for Meredith Ross.
Automatic Consent: The Academic Staff Assembly minutes of Monday, December 13, 2016, were approved.
Guest: Amy Fruchtman, Madison Academic Staff Network
Amy reviewed the spring events for the Madison Academic Staff Network. These events include a Snowshoe/Walk on the Lake on February 24, Legislative Update from ASPRO on March 14, Guided Tour of the Chazen on April 13 and the Annual Meeting and Luncheon on May 3 featuring Donald Moynihan. More information is available at http://madisonacademicstaffnetwork.org.
Guest: Tim Dalby, Assembly Representative from District #263, Faculty Assistant Pay
Tim Dalby was joined by several faculty assistants in a brief presentation about pay for Faculty Assistants. The minimum pay for Faculty Assistants has fallen below the minimum pay for Teaching Assistants (TAs). Faculty Assistants perform similar duties to TAs. The group is looking for equity in salaries with TAs. The cost to make the adjustment the faculty assistants are seeking is less than $150,000.
Standing Committee and Other Reports
Academic Staff Executive Committee (ASEC) – A report of ASEC’s activities during the last month was distributed at the door. Kevin Niemi reminded the Assembly that the 2017 Academic Staff Institute will be held on March 1. He encouraged Assembly members to attend. This year’s keynote speaker is Michael Johnson, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County. The deadline to sign up for the conference is February 17.
He shared that the Titling and Total Compensation Advisory Council has announced Mercer Consulting as the chosen vendor for the upcoming titling and compensation study. Mercer has a lot of experience with similar projects in higher education. Heather Mc Fadden represents academic staff on the group, and Provost Mangelsdorf is co-chairing the group. There will be a kickoff meeting with Mercer in March.
Kevin announced that the informational sessions on proposed changes to Assembly districting logic will be held on Tuesday, February 28, from 12:30pm – 1:30pm in Union South and on Friday, March 3, from 12:00pm – 1:00pm in 1345 Health Sciences Learning Center. The HSLC session will be recorded and put on the academic staff website.
Mentoring Committee-Marty Gustafson reported that the committee began work in September with a survey to new academic staff to ask who would like to be paired with a mentor. A similar survey was sent out to recruit mentors. They have matched two mentees with one mentor this year as a trial due to a lack of mentors.
The kickoff program was held in October. They are doing some programming this year including a session on performance feedback. They have also started a LinkedIn and Facebook group for mentors and mentees. The committee also supports a Community of Practice on mentoring that meets quarterly.
Academic Staff Professional Representation Organization (ASPRO)-Michael Moscicke provided the Assembly with an update on the governor’s budget proposal. Overall, the Governor’s budget proposal includes $140 million in additional funding for the UW System. The $140 million consists of:
• $50 million to end the lapse the UW System was required to make in the last State Budget.
• $35 million to backfill the proposed 5% tuition cut for Wisconsin-resident undergraduate students in the 2018-2019 school year.
• $42.5 million for “performance” funding. The funds would be distributed to institutions based on their performance relating “to improving affordability and attainability, enhancing work readiness, ensuring student success in the workforce, administrative efficiency, service and two additional criteria to be determined by the Board of Regents.”
• $11.6 million as a block grant to the UW System for compensation increases for UW employees.
• Approximately $900,000 for other programs, including $200,000 for the Wisconsin Rural Physician Residency Assistance Program and $100,000 for Alzheimer’s research.
In addition, there were a number of proposed policy changes in the budget proposal. These include:
• Require the Board of Regents to establish a faculty and instructional academic staff workload policy, monitor faculty and instructional academic staff teaching workload and establish policies for rewarding faculty and instructional academic staff who teach more than a standard academic load.
• Include language in State Statute Chapter 36 to codify the State’s commitment to academic freedom.
• Provide UW System and UW-Madison with more procurement flexibilities.
• Allow students to opt-out of allocable student segregated fees.
• Require institutions to develop plans that would allow a student to complete a bachelor’s degree in three years.
• Require students to have an internship or other work experience before graduating.
• Double the amount of core credits that students can transfer from the Wisconsin Technical College System to the UW System.
Michael reminded the Assembly that Kevin Niemi and Heather McFadden also serve on the ASPRO board.
Business
Standing Committee Slates
Tom Browne, co-chair of the Nominating Committee, read the names of the committee slates for the Communications Committee, Compensation and Economic Benefits Committee, Districting and Representation Committee, Mentoring Committee, Personnel Policies and Procedures Committee, and the Professional Development and Recognition Committee. He asked for nominees from the floor after each slate was presented. Gene Masters was nominated from the floor for the Districting and Representation Committee.
Nominating Committee Slate
Kevin Niemi, ASEC chair, read the names on the Nominating Committee slate. No nominations were added from the floor.
Academic Staff Executive Committee Slate
Tom Browne, co-chair of the Nominating Committee, presented the ASEC slate to the Assembly.
Districting Alternatives
Ian Benton, co-chair of the Districting and Representation Committee, led a discussion on the alternatives for districting logic. With the approved change in size to the districts, there are 23 districts that are too large and 35 districts that are too small. The first issue to decide is whether the total number of districts should be fixed at 112 or whether the total number of districts should be fluid.
The second decision the Assembly will need to make is the logic that should be used to split people into districts. Ian presented four different options to the Assembly. All these options remove location, which is currently used, but is very transitory and, to many, not meaningful. Two of the options would be to only divide people by school/college/division or to only use job title codes. The other two options are a combination of those two factors with either school/college/division being first or job title code.
The Assembly discussed this issue. Two specific items that were mentioned during the discussion was using departments as a way to further separate large numbers of academic staff in the same job title code and school/college/division and possibly providing an upper limit to the number of districts that can be created.
Resolution to Endorse Policy on Misconduct in Scholarly Research
Robert Newsom (ASEC) moved the Academic Staff Assembly approve the Resolution to Endorse Policy on Misconduct in Scholarly Research. Seconded. Approved.
Resolution in Solidarity with Students, Staff and Faculty at UW-Madison Affected by the Executive Order of the President of the United States titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States”
Mallory Musolf (ASEC) moved the Academic Staff Assembly approve the Resolution in Solidarity with Students, Staff and Faculty at UW-Madison Affected by the Executive Order of the President of the United States titled “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States” with the addition of a whereas clause before the first therefore clause that reads “Whereas Chancellor Rebecca Blank signed onto a joint letter from the Association of American Universities, the American Council on Education, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities opposing the executive order.” Seconded. Approved.
Provost Report
Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf reported on the proposal in the governor’s budget proposal that all of the UW campuses would have annual report card and the universities would be ranked ordered each year by the Board of Regents.
Adjourned at 5:00 pm.
Minutes submitted by Heather Daniels, Secretary of the Academic Staff